Plasticized security document provided with passport photo

Abstract: Plasticized safety document provided with a passport photo, such as admission passes, bank passes, credit cards, should be fraud proof as good as possible. According to the invention, a passport photo having knurled or toothed edges is used. Such a safety document can be obtained e.g. by applying a passport photo onto a document of cardboard or plastic provided with identification particulars, and subsequently cutting out the passport photo with a passport photo cutter, provided with a cutting window having knurled edges, and inserting the knurled passport photo (2') with knurled edge (3'), cut to the appropriate size, into the likewise knurled opening (4') formed in the document by cutting-out. This assembly is laminated on two sides with polyester sheet (5) provided with an adhesive layer by means of hot-pressing. Thus, one obtains a safety document that meets the highest requirements of protection against fraud, and from which the passport photo can not be removed undamaged on opening the lamination. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to insert a new passport photo, because it should have the appropriate knurl pattern.

Description: The invention relates to a plasticized safety document provided with a passport photograph having toothed and/or knurled edges. Safety documents in the sense of the present invention are understood to mean strictly personal identification documents such as admission passes, bank passes, credit cards, and the like, as well as documents issued by the central government such as identity cards, passports, driving licences, etc. In order to protect such documents, which are intended for strictly personal use, against forgery, they are plasticized, that is, laminated with a laminate of thermosetting plastic material. In the usual practice the relevant document, consisting of printed paper, cardboard, or plastic material, is provided with a passport photograph and subsequently enclosed by two transparant protective sheets of thermosetting polyester material, each being provided with a thin adhesive layer of thermoplastic material, whereupon this entity is laminated by hot-pressing. Such a plasticized safety document is primarily protected against forgery, but does not exclude it completely. For example, an experienced forger will be able to open the laminate again with the help of a hot iron, and change the particulars on the document, e.g. by forging a signature or applying another passport photograph, and subsequently laminating the forged document again. In order to make the protection against fraud as high as possible, according to the earlier Dutch patent application No. 92 01772, likewise of applicant, and not pre-published, it is suggested to laminate the document with multi-layer laminates, as a result of which the act of opening such a laminated document is seriously complicated, and the risk of damages is highly increased. Still the problem remains, that the most vulnerable part of the document is a passport photograph. If a person succeeds in opening the laminate undamaged, it is relatively easy to remove a normal passport photograph without damage and replace it by another one. In order to make removal and replacement of passport photographs as difficult as possible, it is already proposed to provide the edges of a passport photograph with a crenature. In DE-A-3,233,678 a plasticized safety document is described comprising a passport photograph having rounded toothed edges and which is inserted in a matching recess in the document wherein the inner edges of the recess have counter-teeth in which the teeth of the edges of the passport photograph match. The advantage of such an embodiment is, that the passport photograph itself is laminated on both sides as well. In this way protection against fraud is considerably increased, since removing and replacing the passport photograph is made very difficult with a great risk of damaging the teeth of either the passport photograph or the edge of the recess in the document. According to EP-A-0 440 814 the edges of a passport photograph of a safety document are sharply toothed. According to the invention there is provided a further improvement of plasticized safety documents provided with a passport photograph having toothed and/or knurled edges, which makes fraud almost impossible. Thereto the invention provides a safety document as described above, characterized in that the passport photograph edges are toothed and/or knurled according to a special coding pattern for authenticity identification. By reading such coding with a suitable reading apparatus it can easily be established whether a passport photograph has been replaced by a not coded other one. According to the invention it is further possible that the passport photograph has at least one character edge in which the teeth or knurls form characters for indication of use. In this way one can establish that the passport photograph used for the document is actually intended for it. Thus, photographs intended for driving licences can be distinguished from those which are designed for example for a specific safety admission pass. This also offers a possibility for preventing forgery. Same as in DE-A-3,233,678, the passport photograph can be inserted in a matching recess in the safety document, having the advantage of an even better safety than discussed above. The invention furthermore provides a suitable method for such a plasticized safety document of the type in which the passport photograph is inserted in a matching recess in the document, characterized in that a passport photograph, not yet cut to the appropriate size, is put on the destined place on the document, is cut out in the appropriate size and with a knurled edge, together with the underlying part of the document, then the cut-out photograph is inserted into the opening formed in the document, and is laminated together with the document. Suitably, cutting-out can be effected with a passport photograph cutter provided with a cutting master having a format window which has knurled cutting edges, and a punch member that punches out the desired with knurled edges through the window. The passport photograph according to the invention is characterized in that the size window is exchangeable. This offers the possibility of changing the knurl or teeth pattern, if necessary, or applying a different tooth coding, so that the risk of fraud is reduced to a minimum, for example by changing the tooth pattern periodically. The invention is now further explained with reference to the drawing. In the drawing: Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a usual safety pass in cross section, Fig. 2 shows this safety pass in plan view, and Fig. 3 shows a corresponding safety pass, also in plan view, yet constructed according to the invention. The Fig. 1 and 2 show a safety pass of the type which is used as admission control cards for companies and institutes with enhanced safety requirements. The pass consists of a document 1 made of cardboard or hard plastic, comprising identification particulars, in Fig. 2 schematically indicated by full lines on the document on the left-hand side. On the right-hand side a passport photograph 2 has been applied, the smooth edges 3 of which fitting into a window opening 4 in the document 1. Together with the passport photograph 2, inserted in the window opening 4, document 1 is subsequently plasticized by placing the document 1 between two polyester sheets 5 having their inner sides provided with an adhesive layer of thermoplastic or hot-melt material. The whole is laminated by hot-pressing, whereupon one obtains a plasticized document which is reasonably well-protected against fraud. Still it is possible to re-open the laminate 5, for example with the help of a hot iron, after which the particulars on the document can be forged. However, in general, application of forged particulars can not be carried out in such a way that it will not be noticed. Nevertheless, another point is that the passport photograph can be removed and replaced relatively easy without clearly leaving traces. If the document is relaminated after having replaced the passport photograph by another one, there is the risk that a thus forged pass remains unnoticed. In the same plan view as in Fig. 2, Fig. 3 shows a safety pass according to the invention, in which the pass is protected against fraud with the passport photograph in particular. Same as in the embodiment according to Fig. 1 and 2, a document provided with identification particulars is provided with a passport photograph 2', which fits in a window opening 4' in the document 1. Contrary to the embodiment of Fig. 2, the passport photograph does not have smooth edges, but edges 3' provided with knurls. These knurled edges 3' fit closely within knurled edges 4' of the window opening of the document and, like with the known embodiment, the whole of the document with passport photograph is subsequently laminated on two sides with laminating layers 5 of polyester, having their inner sides provided with an adhesive layer. Thanks to the knurled edges, a thus designed safety pass is particularly fraud-proof. If the laminate is opened by heating, for example with the help of an iron, it is practically impossible to remove the passport photograph 2' without damaging the edge 3' by tearing or breaking off. The window opening 4' having an adjusting knurl pattern, can also get damaged easily, so that in any case one can establish afterwards whether fraud was practised with the pass. If one wishes to place a new passport photograph, one firstly has to see to it that it has exactly the same knurled edges as those of the removed passport photograph. In order to increase the protection against fraud yet further, the knurls of the passport photograph have been applied according to a special coding pattern, as a result of which it gets extremely difficult to substitute false passport photographs for the original real ones. Knurling the edges of the passport photograph together with knurling the edges of the window opening can suitably take place in a photograph punch tongs for punching out desired formats. Such photograph cutters are well-known and are provided with a cutting master having a format window, the cutting edges of which cutting the desired format of a passport photograph with the help of a punch that punches the window portion of the inserted photograph through the window. According to the invention such photograph cutters are equipped with exchangeable windows provided with the desired knurled edges. As a result of this it is possible to cut passport photograph and window in a knurled state out of the document in one move, so that subsequently, after inserting the cut-out passport photograph in the obtained opening in the document, one has obtained the desired knurled pattern, whereafter one can laminate in the usual way. Thus, an extremely fraud-proof safety document is obtained, from which the passport photograph is practically not forgeable anymore. Although in the above the invention is explained by means of an embodiment, it will be obvious that in principle many versions are possible. Thus, it is possible to work with documents without window on which the photograph is glued, or documents having a smooth window opening, in which a knurled passport photograph is inserted. Under these circumstances the knurl code pattern of the passport photograph also offers an additional protection against fraud. Further modifications and versions will be clear to the expert after reading the above.

Claims: A plasticized (5) safety document (1) provided with a passport photograph (2) having toothed and/or knurled edges (3'), characterized in that, the passport photograph edges (3') are toothed and/or knurled according to a special coding pattern for authenticity identification. A plasticized safety document according to claim 1, characterized in that, the passport photograph (2') has at least one character edge, in which the teeth or knurls form characters for indication of use. A method for manufacturing a plasticized safety document according to claim 1 or 2, of the type in which the passport photograph is inserted in a matching recess in the document, in which method a document provided with a passport photograph is laminated on two sides with plastic sheets having their inner sides provided with a thermoplastic adhesive layer, characterized in that, a passport photograph, not yet cut to the appropriate size, is put on the destined place on the document, is cut out in the appropriate size and with a knurled edge, together with the underlying part of the document, then the cut-out photograph is inserted into the opening formed in the document, and is laminated together with the document.

Inventors: LINDEN ROBERTUS J J OVER DE, SCHUURMAN DIRK, OVER DE LINDEN, ROBERTUS JOHANNES JACOBUS, SCHUURMAN, DIRK
Applicants: DORNED BV, DORNED B.V.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B42D15
IPC codes: B42D15